The former head of the Department of Government Efficiency has intensified his public criticism of White House staff member Sergio Gor.
Elon Musk has alleged that a senior aide to President Donald Trump has engaged in federal criminal activity.
In the weeks following the high-profile falling out between the president and the billionaire, Musk has persistently targeted Sergio Gor, the director of the presidential personnel office, whom Musk holds responsible for his soured relationship with Trump.
Earlier in the week, Musk labeled Gor a “snake” following a New York Post article that claimed Gor, despite overseeing the screening of thousands of government officials, had not undergone a complete vetting process himself.
On Friday, however, the ex-chief of the Department of Government Efficiency escalated his claims, posting on the social media platform X: “He deliberately lied about where he was born on Federal forms. That’s a serious crime.”
“Gor is breaking the law,” Musk asserted in a subsequent post.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for a statement regarding Musk’s newest allegation, which was made in reply to a string of posts from Ukrainian-American race car driver Igor Sushko, who accused Gor of being a “Russian spy.”
Sushko had shared several articles concerning the White House aide, including a New York Post piece that raised questions about Gor’s birthplace, information about a trip to Russia he took while employed by Senator Rand Paul, an archived version of Gor’s high-school email that allegedly identified him as “Russian-Maltese,” and a since-withdrawn report by former Washington Post journalist Brian Krebs.
At the heart of Musk’s accusation is the assertion that Gor did not complete his own SF-86, the essential vetting document needed for a permanent U.S. security clearance, even though Gor’s job was to vet countless other executive branch officials.
The SF-86 form details an individual’s citizenship, work history, family, foreign associations and travel, financial records, and substance use, among other areas. The White House countered earlier this week, stating that Gor did complete the form, possesses the necessary clearance, and is a “trusted adviser to President Trump.”
Fueling Musk’s public charge is a persistent conflict with Gor, with Musk claiming the 38-year-old aide instigated his dramatic break with President Trump earlier this month.
The situation became particularly contentious after Gor reportedly persuaded Trump to withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaacman—a personal friend of Musk—to head NASA, which occurred just before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing. At the time, Trump explained the withdrawal by citing Isaacman’s “prior associations,” alluding to his previous donations to Democratic candidates.
Speculation grew that Gor orchestrated the move to retaliate against Musk, following reports of their disagreements during Cabinet meetings.
The dissolution of the friendly relationship between Musk and Trump sent shockwaves through Washington and was observed with a mix of disbelief and fascination worldwide, as the two exchanged public insults on topics ranging from credit for Trump’s election to the future of Musk’s SpaceX government contracts.
The feud took a darker turn when Musk claimed to his more than 220 million followers that Trump’s name appeared in documents related to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which triggered a significant backlash from Trump’s MAGA supporters.
He has subsequently expressed remorse to the president, both in public and private communications, and has removed several of the critical posts.
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk stated on X.